Refrigerating apparatus



E. F. FISHER.

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 17. 1919.

1,375,836, Patented Apr. 26-, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET I. coouwagg COlLS WITNESSES INVENTOR E. F. FISHER.

. 17, I9I9. 1,375,836. Patented Apr. 26,1921.

' vZ SHEETS-SHEQIL UNITED STATES ERNEST F. FISHER, OF ESSINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

REFRIGERATIN'G APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 17, 1919. Serial No. 271,599.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ERNEST F. FISHER, residing at Essington, in the county of Delaware and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the United States, have invented or dis covered certain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerating Apparatus, of which improvements the following is a specification.

My invention relates to refrigerating apparatus; it includes rotary condensing pumps for compressing air or other gas wherein compression is effected by means 0 bodies of liquid centrifugally impelled by the rotation of the rotary member. My invention consists in a structure of simplicity and effectiveness.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of a compressor or condenser which forms part of my apparatus, associated parts being for simplicity shown diagrammatically. Fig. 2 is a view of the compressor in vertical section, through the casing, the plane of section being at right angles to that of Fig. 1 and the moving parts being shown in elevation. In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings the ideal planes of section are not strictly adhered to,'for the inclined passageways are shown as though the plane of section corresponded with their inclination.

A suitable casing 1, which may be cooled by chambers for water circulation such as 2, incloses a chamber 3 for the rotary member. This chamber 3 is of general cylindrical form with a circumferential extension 4 opening to an annular peripheral chamber 5. Within this chamber is arranged the rotary member which consists of an essentially cylindrical body 6 arranged within the cylindrical portion of the chamber, and a ring-like extension 7 arranged within the circumferential extension 4 of the chamber and enlarged within the annular chamber 5. This rotary member is borne upon and rotated by a driven shaft 8. It will be observed that on either side of the rotary member 6 and within the end portions of the chamber a 3 are fluid intake chambers 9 and 10. V

The rotary member 6 is provided about its periphery with a succession of passageways 11. These passageways lead from the two chambers 9 and 10 at opposite ends of the cylindrical chamber 3 toward the middle and at the same time they extend from points near the axis of rotation outwardly and they open outwardly. These successive passageways 11 are arranged in alternation, opening first from the fluid chamber 9 at one head of the cylinder and then from the fluid chamber 10 at the other hea of the cylinder.

The casing walls themselves on either side the extension 7 are provided with duplicate series of passageways 12 which (of. Fig. 2) extend tangentially outward in the direction of rotation, and from the central generally cylindrical chamber 3 to the concentric annular chamber 5.

Beyond these passageways are connecting passageways 13 formed in two corresponding series in and on either side of the enlarged outer portion of extension 7 of the rotary member; these passageways 13 (of. Fig. 2) are tangential also, but extend outward in a direction opposite the direction of rotation. The two series of passageways converge, as is indicated in Fig. 1, and open to the passageways 14 of a single series, which are formed through the casing; and these passageways 14 also are tangentially arranged (again of. Fig. 2); and extended outwardly in the direction of rotation. They lead directly into a peripheral chamber 15. It will thus be seen that the rotary central body receives fluid through opposite heads at points near its axis and delivers it through passageways which open medially into outwardly extending zigzag passages; that an intermediate annulus of these zigzag passages rotates; and that in the particular structure shown this rotary annulus is integral with the rotary central body.

The peripheral chamber 15 is enlarged to form beneath the rotary member a chamber 16 in which the liquid servingas a gas- Patented Apr. 26, 1921.

compressing agency may collect in a pool,

as indicated at A.

A passageway 17, which, as indicated at 18, may be provided with a governing valve,

brings the pool of liquid A into communication with the fluid chamber 9 formed within the casing at one head of the rotor.

I pause here in the description of the apparatus to indicate how, without other in strumentalities than those up to this point mentioned, the fluid alluded to as the agency for compression circulates when the rotor turns on its shaft. The rotation of the rotor drives the liquid contained within it, in response to centrifugal force, outwardly through pasageways 12 and 1 1 to peripheral chamber 15. The effect of pressure upon the surface of pool A within chamber 16 and suction upon the liquid in conduit 17 is to cause the liquid to flow through the conduit 17 to the rotor.

Turning attention now to the opposite end of the rotor, to the fluid chamber 10 at the opposite side of the casing, and to its connections, it will be seen that another passageway 19 leads from the condenser casing; this passageway too is controlled by a valve indicated at 20. Through this passageway communication is had to refriger ant coils diagrammatically indicated'a-t 21, and from the refrigerant coils there is communication to the fluid chamber 10. Fig. 1 of the drawings show the coil 21 broken away at its ends, but yet arranged in proper relative position respecting passageway 19 and chamber 10. This breaking away will serve to indicate that coil 21, formed and arranged as preferred, will still at opposite ends make connections as indicated with passageway 19 and with chamber 10. It is within this coil 21, or its equivalent, that under reduced conditions of pressure the previously liquefied vapor is again converted into vapor. In vaporizing it takes up latent heat and so effects refrigeration.

Through conduit 19 compressed (and in this case condensed) fluid is led from chamber 16; the orifice of the valve indicated at 20 is of such size that the liquid escaping to coils 21 vaporizes; the vapor so generated is exceedingly cold and so serves as a refrigerant. Having absorbed heat from the conduit walls this vapor still at relatively low pressure is drawn by the rotating pump from chamber 10.

Calling attention now to the commingling of the two media :--the liquid which forms the compressing agent, and the gas to be compressed, it will be seen that from the oppositely arranged fluid chambers 9 and 10 the two media flow through symmetrically but oppositely arranged passageways to the mid portion of the structure, where they are discharged into the passageways 12, and in these passageways the discrete portions of liquid and gas come together, so that the gas forms as it were bubbles (called slugs) in the stream of liquid. From these passageways 12 the columns of liquid with their contained slugs of gas advance in consequence of pressure from behind and suction from before into passageways 13 in ringlike portion of the rotor, and in those passageways the liquid moves in response to the centrifugal force due to rotation. And under this force the slugs of gas are compressed. It is delivered in compressed form into the passageways 14 where compression continues, due to the crowding from behind of fresh quantities; and from these passageways 14 the "columns of combined liquid and gas are shot out into the peripheral chamber 15. The liquid separates itself by gravity from the gas and forms the pool at the bottom of the casing. Cooling coils 22 may be arranged opposite the delivery ends of passageways 14, and the escaping gas coming into contact with these coils may if it be of proper nature be condensed.

It will be seen that the rotary compressor taking in at one head the compressing liquid, and at the other head a compressible gas, brings the two supplies of liquid and gas into outwardly extending passageways, in which the gas forms slugs in columns of liquid, and in which under stress of centrifugal force the uncompressible liquid com presses the gas.

My compression pump is, as will now be apparent, one in which the compression agent is a column of liquid moving with appreciable momentum in a tube. The gas to be compressed is entrapped in discontinuous bodies or slugs intercalated in breaks in the liquid column. By virtue of centrifugal force exerted in such manner as to drive the column of liquid through its containing passageway, its greater mass and incompressible quality has the effect upon the slugs of gas to compress them.

Fig. 2 shows the cooling coils not only encircling the rotor to meet the gas emerging from the passageways 14, but also coiled in the bottom of the casing to form a cooler for the liquid collecting in the pool A.

Considering now this condenser as a member in a refrigerating system, I have shown the apparatus so constructed as to employ one and the same substance to serve both as the compressing liquid and the compressible and condensable gas. Such a substance is found in sulfur dioxid, for example, or in Cir ammonia. The pool A is of course a pool of a through which the liquid emerging in sum 1 quantities vaporizes and by the fact of vaporizing serves as a refrigerant. This vaporized fluid compressed again in the rotor and brought into impingement upon the cooling coils 22, condenses again to liquid and gathers in the pool A.

Again, this liquid may be a mixture of a substance which will remain liquid through the cycle of operation in both branches, such as oil, for example, and a, substance such as ammonia or sulfur dioxid, which, remaining a liquid in one branch, becomes a gas or vapor in the other. Or, again, two separable substances or media may be cmployed; one a permanent liquid circling in the left hand cycle (Fig. 1), such for instance as oil or even mercury, the other a substance such as ammonia or sulfur dioxid which, circulating in the right-hand cycle, becomes alternately a liquid and vapor. In case two separable substances are used as compression medium and compressed medium, and in case the compressed medium is to circulate again and again through the apparatus, then of course suitable means will be employed for separating the one from the other. That matter of separation however forms no part of my present invention. Means already exist in the art for effecting such separation and they are available for those who wish to use them.

The pool A is a liquid seal, and effectively cuts ofl the high-pressure chamber 16 within casing 1 from the low-pressure refrigerating line 21.

The condensing coil 21 in Fig. 1 is shown diagrammatically. The apparatus now described, operating in the manner now sufficiently indicated, has the effect of bringing a cocndensable gas to its critical pressure (at the existing temperature) and then by reduction of temperature to condense it, and so to constitute it a refrigerant, which, on subsequent vaporization, absorbing its latent heat, will effect refrigeration.

I do not mean to limit my invention precisely to what is shown, in every detail, and, particularly in my broader claims, I mean to include apparatus having the general character defined, regardless of specific variations of form.

I claim as my invention:

1. A gas compressor including a rotor having a centrifugal passageway, means for introducing at the inner end of said pas sageway the gas to be compressed, communication from the delivery end to the intake end of said passageway, and a body of fluid homogeneous with the gas to be compressed circulating in liquid form through said passageway and through the line of said communication, substantially as described.

2. A gas compressor including a rotor having a centrifugal passageway, two lines of communication from the delivery end of said passageway to the intake end thereof, a homogeneous fluid circulating through said passageway and through both of said lines of communication, and means in one of said lines of communication for converting into vapor the fluid which elsewhere circulates in liquid form, whereby the fluid circulating through one of said lines of communication in liquid form serves in said passageway as a compression medium upon the fluid vaporized in the other line of communication, substantially as described.

3. A gas compressor including a rotor having a centrifugal passageway, two lines of communication from the delivery end of said passageway to the intake end thereof, a homogeneous body of fluid circulating through said passageway and through both of said lines of communication, means in one of said lines of communication for effecting vaporization of said fluid from normally liquid to gaseous form, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ERNEST F. FISHER.

Witnesses:

FRED D. BLUMHARD, HARRY O. WALP. 

